Faced with a choice that requires a decision? Don't go with your gut, try 10-10-10 which translates to: how will the results of this decision affect me in 10 minutes - in 10 months - and in 10 years.
A current bestseller, 10-10-10, is a book written by Suzy Welch, co-author of Winning a book written with her husband, Jack Welch. What began as a column in "O" (Oprah's magazine) 10-10-10 is now 240 pages full of interesting stories that prove out the successful concept that is helping people to make decisions in a rational way that can transform careers, relationships, friendships, and parenting.
My 10-10-10 Experience
I brought the book with me to a conference that I left for last Sunday. With a crazy schedule, I didn't sit down to actually read the book until the following Thursday when I was in the airport waiting to get on a flight back home. With time to kill, I sent out a Tweet through my iPhone which read "Starting to read @suzywelch's new book 10-10-10 at the Orlando airport. Wonder which part of my life to transform first. :-)" and I cracked open the book.
Within 24 hours, I had a Tweet back from Suzy Welch which read "@cgunst A bit of unsolicited 10-10-10 advice? Start w/a smallish decision before going big. It's good prep. (And thx for reading my book!)". Now, Suzy Welch is a smart lady and I like to believe that I'm a smart lady too, so I followed her advice and decided to start small. I applied 10-10-10 to the ramifications of me skipping a workout that afternoon. (True confession, I've been 12 pounds higher than I like to be for exactly three years now. Admittedly, while it doesn't make me happy, it's not the biggest problem a person could have. Still...) My 10-10-10 thinking went like this:
In 10 minutes, if I don't work out, I won't care because I'm exhausted and I really need a nap.
In 10 months, if I don't work out, I will care because I don't like being 12 pounds overweight or having a problem that I'm doing nothing about but complain. If I haven't solved this problem by next March, I'm not going to be too happy.
In 10 years, if I don't work out, it won't be the worst thing in the world. But, as I get older, my health is really important to me and not something that I take for granted. Staying in shape and taking care of 12 pounds now is a lot easier than taking care of 20 pounds down the road.
Problem solved with 10-10-10! I'm happy to report that I made it to the gym and got a nap in afterwards. In fact, I've been to the gym and have eaten right for three straight days now and I feel wonderful. I'm already working on how I'm going to keep this success going beyond Memorial Day weekend. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I keep up the work necessary to lose 12 pounds - which will involve changing my schedule to include more time for exercise and making sure that I'm eating right every day - that other things are going to start falling into place too!
Are You Feeling Stuck?
Everyone has problems. It's what we do about them that makes all the difference. Sometimes the same old ways of solving a problem is not moving us forward and not really solving it. 10-10-10 is a good, straight forward methodology to help make better decisions. And as Suzy Welch mentions throughout her book, once you've used 10-10-10, it also becomes a great way to explain a decision you've made to the people involved with your decision.
This book is a quick read full of witty, interesting stories that you can relate to and it will change the way you think about things. I really enjoyed it. And, I see myself giving it as a gift to a few of my friends friends as a gift to help them make better decisions too.
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